Yes! A salad just like the tomato salad, but with oranges.
A traditional Greek Salad, from the region of Pelion, which easily finds its place in the “gourmet” cuisine, if we are to add pomegranate berries, seeds, caper, lettuce and orange zest.
This is a simple recipe. I did it the first time with my husband, using oranges from our garden. We prefer the sourest ones. Since then, it has been a permanent side to the legumes dishes (beans, lentils, peas).
When we are abroad, we prepare it with any oranges we can find in shops or at the market. But still, a fruit salad? Why not? We prepared it for the first time 28 years ago. Since then, I have tasted and appreciated all the delicacies offered by the south region of Mount Pelion.
Portokalosalata (South Pelion)
• 2-3 peeled oranges (cut in large pieces)
• agoureleo (olive oil from unripe olives, green olive oil) or extra-virgin olive oil
• several olives
• 1 red onion rings
• salt, pepper, oregano
To our surprise, the combination proved excellent! The iron in the vegetables is better absorbed with the help of vitamin C in the orange, and the taste is even better if the ingredients are as natural as possible.
The orange salad is prepared in several regions in Greece, outside Pelion. It is considered a traditional dish in southern Greece (the Peloponnese), in the Ionic Sea islands (Corfu) and in Crete.
Maria Tsitsipini
Find out more about the Balkans culinary diversity, including the most famous traditional Romanian food and the original mici sausages recipe on the dedicated FOOD section.
